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The Situation Room

Mississippi AG Rules Fatal Police Shooting Of 1-Year-Old "Justified"; New Video of U.S. Citizen Reportedly Injured by ICE; Rep. Garcia: "ICE and DHS are Completely Out of Control"; Investigators Probe How Oregon Teen Got Access to Gun. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 20, 2026 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:00]

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- by the Mississippi Attorney General, he said the following, how can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen's family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body camera footage, he asked. This is a department whose chief was fired after reports of racial slurs in his text messages.

The AP reported last month that San Antonio Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired by the local city council after the New York Times and two other media reported the chief had allegedly used racist slurs in private text conversations with a colleague. At the time the San Antonio Police Department declined to comment on the firing. There has been tensions, Wolf, for years in San Antonio between its black residents and the police department. The town of 8,000 is 40 miles south of Memphis. Wolf, now back to you.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Rafael Romo reporting for us. Thank you very, very much, Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Just ahead here in the Situation Room, power priorities. A top House Democrat outlines plans if his party takes control, including who and what to investigate. And he joins us next with those details.

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[11:35:00]

BROWN: Happening now, a demand for answers after officials say a U.S. citizen was injured Saturday in an encounter with ICE agents.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They broke in with -- help me. Help me.

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BROWN: This new video shows at least four agents at one point trying to handcuff Ricardo Gonzalez in Long Beach, California. The mayor of that town says Gonzalez told him he is a U.S. citizen, and he was found after he and other community members called 911 to report unmarked vehicles in their neighborhood. And surveillance video obtained by KTLA, you can see an unmarked car driving the wrong way down a one-way street as a man on an e-bike turns onto the road. Now, it's not clear from this video whether the e-bike and the SUV collide, but you see the vehicle come to a quick stop and several agents exit the car. When local officers arrived to the scene, they say they found Gonzalez detained, handcuffed, and bleeding.

BLITZER: And joining us now to talk about all of this and more is Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California. Long Beach is in his district. Good morning, Congressman. Thanks so much for joining us.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said this morning, in part, let me read the quote, "On October 17, 2026, ICE conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Long Beach, California to arrest an at-large criminal illegal alien. During the operation, anti-ICE agitators attempted to impede operations, threaten officers, and damage government vehicles, despite officers giving lawful commands. ICE did not hit an individual on a bike. An individual was arrested after he smashed the mirror of a government vehicle. Resisting arrest is dangerous and can result in injury. ICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations, to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers. Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training," end quote.

What's your reaction, Congressman, to that statement from the Department of Homeland Security?

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): We all have eyes. I mean, we've all seen the videos. It's very clear what happened there, and I know this neighborhood really well. I was mayor of Long Beach for eight years. These are narrow streets. You see the ICE vehicle actually going in the wrong direction. It was going the wrong way on the street. Ricardo's on his bike. He turns.

And obviously, then ICE agents throw him to the ground. He's screaming on the ground that his arm is broken, it seriously hurts. Everything is caught on video, and there is absolutely no reason why we are throwing a United States citizen to the ground, causing trauma. The entire neighborhood feels terrorized, and this continues to happen in American cities across the country.

ICE agents have shot U.S. citizens, have killed U.S. citizens, continue to cause major trauma and harm across the country. This has to end, and the idea and this whole notion of Homeland Security coming out, accusing the community of causing havoc or being rioters is just B.S. We've all seen the footage.

The community was trying to protect Ricardo, trying to record the harassment by ICE. ICE is not welcome in this community or in cities across the country.

BLITZER: Ricardo Gonzalez's daughter has spoken to CNN, but we haven't heard directly from Gonzalez himself. Congressman, have you had a chance to speak to Ricardo Gonzalez directly?

GARCIA: So, I haven't talked to him directly, but we're talking to the neighborhood. He has talked to our local mayor. He's someone that does not want a lot of attention on him. He is just upset at what's happening to him and his community.

And the thing that we know about Ricardo, because we yesterday had a gathering of a bunch of folks from the community and immigration folks, is he was just -- he's just a neighbor in the city. And the idea that ICE is going to throw him to the ground and cause this level of harm is outrageous.

This is happening across the country. ICE is out of control. They're not well-trained. They're all masked. They're not wearing body cameras. And it was the Long Beach Police Department, by the way, that grabbed Ricardo, took him out, and actually got him medical care at a local fire station.

ICE continues to brutalize communities, and they are not welcome certainly in Long Beach, but they're not welcome in cities across the country.

[11:40:00]

BLITZER: Do you know, Congressman, what transpired before the incident that was captured on video?

GARCIA: What we know from the neighborhood is that ICE came in, they started driving the wrong way on streets, obviously in their big vehicles, and people were concerned. They started coming out wondering what is going on.

And then as one -- as the ICE vehicle is coming in the wrong way on the street, Ricardo is on his knees, and he's just standing there, and he's just standing there, and he's going the opposite direction. And that is when the confrontation happened with him. But they don't arrest Ricardo. What they do is throw him to the ground and either break his arm or certainly damage his arm. He is screaming on the ground.

And then what they're doing is causing havoc. They're going door to door. This is happening not just in Long Beach, but across Southern California and the country. There has to be accountability.

Right now, ICE and DHS are incentivized to arrest and detain as many immigrants, as many working people, as many U.S. citizens as possible, because there's so much money that is being made in this detention process. No American wants to see what is happening. ICE has turned into a deportation force that has gone way above and beyond what they were intended to do, and it must end.

BLITZER: I know you say ICE should be abolished and not reformed, but Department of Homeland Security says nearly 70 percent of the people arrested by ICE have been convicted or charged with a crime here in the United States. ICE has said that some of the worst illegal aliens with criminal histories include crimes such as first-degree murder, possession with intent to distribute illegal drugs, rape, and more.

If ICE is abolished, Congressman, who would be tasked with removing these kinds of violent criminals from society?

GARCIA: So, first, let's be really clear. The vast majority of the people that actually are apprehended and arrested by ICE don't have criminal histories. In fact, when you look at a place like Atlanta or these large facilities, the majority of folks there have no criminal histories. People are being picked up because they are Latino or because ICE is not well-trained, and they're picking up U.S. citizens.

So, the majority of the people do not have criminal histories. And, of course, if you are a criminal in this country and you are committing crimes, you should be arrested. You should not be in this country. We can all agree on that. ICE is not an organization that has been around this country for a long time. It is a product of a new police force that's been only around, as we know, for the last couple of decades.

The functions that currently are within ICE should be in other parts of the government, within the Department of Justice, as it used to be. So, there should, of course, be federal law enforcement. But ICE is now 10 times larger. This is now an organization that we know by reporting, where there have been white nationalist groups that have recruited into ICE, that were trained or people aren't being trained appropriately. And people are going out and causing real harm. And, no, ICE cannot be reformed.

We have to start with a new organization, separate out the current agency, and ensure the functions exist, but in other places that are more appropriate.

BLITZER: If Democrats win the majority in the House of Representatives and take control of congressional oversight, Congressman, what would be your number one priority?

GARCIA: Look, when we take over -- and I think we're going to win, we have a lot of work to do. There's a lot to investigate. Clearly, we have work to do as it relates to corruption within the White House and Trump. Clearly, we have work to do as it relates to those that are working with Donald Trump at the corporate level that are raising the cost for the American public, that are raising the cost of gas and groceries for the average American. But also, the abuses of ICE and DHS also have to be investigated.

There are serious allegations of pay-to-play by folks like Corey Lewandowski, by folks like Kristi Noem, who essentially were getting a cut from some of these large contracts that are then being incentivized to detain and arrest people on our streets. If there is government corruption, whether it's in ICE, certainly whether it's in the White House, which we're seeing every day, when your son is getting weddings paid for by Russian oligarchs or is sitting on boards that are winning contracts from the government, when you're getting crypto schemes and making billions of dollars, that has to be a priority, and so do the abuses of ICE and DHS.

BLITZER: Congressman Robert Garcia of California, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

GARCIA: Thank you.

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Wolf, coming up, just feet away from chaos, we're talking to a mom who had just left the Oregon Elementary School with her child when tragedy struck.

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[11:45:00]

BROWN: Happening now, Bend, Oregon's police chief says there is an active criminal investigation of how a 16-year-old was able to access a gun and kill three students and a teacher at an elementary school. Authorities are also trying to determine why the 16-year-old opened fire before he was shot and killed. And questions are mounting over whether his parents could face criminal charges. Silver Rail Elementary is closed for now, but other schools in the district are set to reopen tomorrow.

We're joined now by Edna Ibarra. She has two children at Silver Rail. She had just picked up her fourth-grade son for an appointment last Thursday and was walking outside when the shots rang out. Her daughter, a kindergartner, was still inside. Edna, you have been through so much, you and your family. Tell us more about what you witnessed.

EDNA IBARRA, WITNESSED SHOOTING FROM OUTSIDE SCHOOL: Yes. So, it was just like a normal day. I was picking my son up from school for a doctor's appointment.

[11:50:00]

And as soon as we started walking out the doors, we heard some sounds. I didn't register that they were gunshots at first. And then started walking to the car. My son and I were talking. And then all of a sudden, I see a white truck just pull up, like, right on the grass. And there's a guy that comes out yelling that there's a shooter.

I started registering now that those were actually gunshots. And so, I saw him jump over the fence. That's when I grabbed my son's hand. And I took him to the car. And I told him to stay there while I was called 911. I was on the phone with them, telling them that there was a shooter at my kid's school.

Like I said, this happened so quickly. The dad comes out, says that he -- the shooter is down. Then the first officer comes. He's -- it was just -- it was so quick. He also jumps over the fence because I think the gate was locked. It was -- like I said, it was something that I just couldn't imagine it happening to us.

BROWN: Yes. And you initially thought the dad who ended up killing the shooter and saving countless lives, no doubt, was the gun initially because there was so much chaos in the moment, right? So, much confusion in those early moments.

IBARRA: Yes. I didn't hear who had like screamed. It was that there's a shooter because all I saw was the dad just jumped out of his truck. Like I said, he had a gun. That's when I -- like it registered that there was something happening at the school. It was just -- it was very chaotic, very frightening.

BROWN: And during all of this, your daughter is inside that school. She's a kindergartner. What was going through your mind and your heart at that moment?

IBARRA: Yes. Honestly, just trying to get to her. It was -- like I said, I had my son there with me. So, I had to stay strong for him, but just not knowing if I was -- if she was OK. And it wasn't just her. I had every kid in there with -- thinking about them, especially because as soon as like the first officer came out, he -- I saw him running out and carrying a little child. And it's just those images that no parent should ever have to witness.

BROWN: Yes. No, I completely agree. Couldn't agree more. There've been nearly 50 school shootings just this year. It's unacceptable. And for you, you're having to process so much, but your little kids are as well. How was your son and your daughter processing what happened? How are you helping them when you're still trying to process it all yourself?

IBARRA: Yes. Thankful that my daughter just didn't know what was happening. Like as soon as we picked her up from that church where they told us that they were going to transport the kids, like I gave her a huge hug. And as soon as like we walked out of that church, she like explained, she's like, what -- why are you guys crying? So, I was very thankful that she just didn't know what was happening.

Obviously, my son, on the other hand, he heard everything. I mean, we were outside. And so, I -- we were going to take him to the museum that the next day, because the Hydrogen Museum was having free, free admission for anyone that needed it. And he asked me, he's like, well, what if shooting happens there? It's like, how do you explain that to him? That's like -- I don't even know how to like explain that to him.

I'm going to -- we're actually going into therapy, all of us, just because I just -- I don't know how to process it. And I don't even know how my son is going to process all of this.

BROWN: Yes, that just gave me chills that now he -- that is on his mind when he goes into a public place. When the chaos was happening, how long did it take between then the shooting and finding out that your daughter was OK?

IBARRA: I mean, it took us -- I think it took us like around like three hours. Other parents, I think it was longer just because their process had to go. It was -- I mean, we were at the church waiting. My sister had to drive me there just because I could not, I was like hyperventilating on the way there.

[11:55:00] BROWN: So, -- but three hours, just to be clear, you didn't know if your daughter was OK during that three-hour stress.

IBARRA: Yes.

BROWN: Oh, my goodness.

IBARRA: Yes.

BROWN: That must've just been awful.

IBARRA: Like I said, they had -- yes. Yes. It was something that like no parent should ever have to worry. Like if their kids are safe.

BROWN: Wow. Edna, thank you for coming on to share your story. And we are all just wishing your family the best and all the other families with several elementary school, as you process this and you grieve with your community. Thank you for coming on the show.

IBARRA: Thank you.

BLITZER: And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

BROWN: Inside politics with our friend and colleague, Dana Bash starts after a quick break.

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